Brewster seeks income tax hike to address firefighter safety

Thursday

Village officials are proposing an income tax levy for May ballot. Money would fund Fire Department upgrades, 24-hour staffing.

BREWSTER Trucks and engines are parked just feet from the kitchen at the Brewster Fire Department.

The station is laid out much like a maze as the firefighters quickly maneuver their way through vehicles and equipment to their turnout gear, which is stored behind vehicles.

Diesel exhaust from the engines can waft into the kitchen as firefighters prepare lunch during a 12-hour shift. Exhaust also reaches their turnout gear as it hangs on wire racks in the back of the bay.

"You're possibly contaminating yourself, but it's just what we have to do right now because of the way the station is laid out," Fire Chief Chris Colucy said.

Village officials hope to improve the situation for firefighters by placing an income tax issue on the May ballot. The tax question, if approved, generate additional funds to address space and safety concerns at the Brewster Fire Department. The levy would be used to expand the fire station, replace aging equipment and eventually up staffing to 24 hours.

"This is an old department," Councilman Tom Hilliard said. "The main reason we are doing this is there's a lot of safety issues with firemen coming back from fires."

Safety concerns

Hilliard, who heads the Fire Planning Committee, said the fire department has struggled with finding new funds to replace equipment and gear during the nine years he has held a position on council.

The fire department has been under a financial strain for a number of years with no solutions found, Hilliard said. The income tax rate has yet to be determined. Officials are considering a hike of either 0.5 percent or 0.25 percent, which would annually generate $400,000 or $200,000 respectively.

"I just think it's time," Hilliard said. "The fire department has been requesting showers for over two years. It's time we do something. It's their safety. We need to more forward. The fire department has been busier than ever."

Fire equipment and trucks are getting bigger, causing space issues at the station and an unsafe storage layout, Colucy said. The fire department cannot comply with some recommendations by the National Fire Protection Association because of the tight quarters, he said.

New bays, showers, a separate area to store turnout gear and an exhaust extraction system would be part of the plan for upgrades, Colucy said. New bays would allow trucks to be separate from the kitchen area. Storing turnout gear in a separate area would also help reduce contamination from diesel exhaust.

These changes boil down to the safety of the firefighters who protect the community and their families, he said.

"There's really no way to remove anything or get cleaned up after a fire," Colucy said. "We have no places to take a shower or clean up after a fire. We take that home to our families."

A 2015 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study found firefighters have a greater number of cancer diagnoses and cancer-related deaths. The high level of toxins and carcinogens firefighters are exposed to makes them more susceptible to cancer.

Senate Bill 27, passed in April, brought these concerns to the forefront. The bill allows workers compensation to pay for the medical bills of firefighters diagnosed with cancer.

"It really brought to light that we don't have the facilities to do this," Colucy said of the bill. "It's been something I've been pushing very hard since I've been chief to get the facilities that we need to help prevent cancer-causing agents so that we can decontaminate ourselves before we go home."

Additions

Village Administrator Mike Miller said plans call for expanding the station into a gravel parking area adjacent to it to provide three new bays. The building would also extend into a hill behind the station with a two-floor addition, which would house a meeting room for community use, and up to four showers.

A room specifically designed to house turnout gear also would keep it from getting contaminated by segregating it from the bays where trucks and engines are housed, he said.

"The employees (of the fire department) get a minimum amount of pay for what they do," Miller said. "We should keep them safe."

Construction of the addition won't begin unless the income tax levy passes, he said.

Though the fire department has enough funding to sustain normal day-to-day operations, Miller said, the department will need to heavily rely on grants to replace aging equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus packs, a new pumper truck, upgraded fire hoses and new turnout gear.

"Essentially we can maintain what we're doing right now," Miller said.

If the levy fails, Colucy said, the Fire Department will continue present operations without the enhanced services the new money would afford.

Call volume continues to increase each year with 66 more calls from January to November of 2018 compared to the previous year. While Colucy said it's too early to determine how soon the station could increase to 24-hour staffing, it would likely occur within the next two years if the levy is successful.

"To pass this from the public's standpoint, it will help us move forward in the future to enhance our response time and our coverage because of the manning and having the up-to-date equipment to continue to provide the best care we can to the residents."

Hilliard has high hopes the levy will pass. Roughly 15 percent of Brewster residents work within village limits and would be affected by an income tax increase, he said.

"The list goes on and on as to why we need this," Hilliard said. "This will bring our fire department up to scale. I think we have a great department. We definitely have a great staff, and this would get more staffing for more evening calls to make quicker time."